This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Muslim Journeys: Persepolis: The Animated Film (2007) Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi

This poignant coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken Iranian girl begins during the Islamic Revolution. “I remember I led a peaceful, uneventful life as a little girl. I loved fries with ketchup, Bruce Lee was my hero, I wore Adidas sneakers and had two obsessions: Shaving my legs one day and being the last prophet of the galaxy.” After the fall of the Shah, cheered by her liberal family, her rebellious teenage years prove difficult under the repressive tyranny of a new Iran ruled by Islamic Fundamentalists. She heads to Vienna where her big mouth won't get her in as much trouble, but life as an alien, shackled by crude Western stereotypes of Islam, is a profound disappointment. After some hard times, she must return to her family—and to her utterly changed homeland—to figure out where she truly belongs... Of course, we know how the story ends. Marjane Satrapi turned her life story into a critically-acclaimed, groundbreaking and best-selling graphic novel and eventually gave it even greater dimension when she adapted it into this gorgeous and inspiring animated film.


This fall, the Lakewood Public Library will be hosting a series of programs that will bring to light the cultural, historical and spiritual lives of Muslims in America and around the world. Topics range from Western perspectives on Muslim history to the loving and universal poetry of  Rumi to the rise of the Islam-inspired Hizmet social reform movement. There will be documentaries about the life of Muhammad, the majesty of Islamic art and a conservative Muslim woman’s struggle to educate young Pakistani women. A charming, fictional film will provide a glimpse of everyday life in Turkey and an animated film will illustrate the story of a headstrong young girl growing up in the middle of the Iranian revolution. Children’s programs will focus on arts and crafts of henna design, calligraphy, mosaics and ebru. An ensemble of Sufi musicians will present a glorious concert of openhearted music that welcomes all faiths. And a masterpiece of Persian poetry will be brought to life by actors and musicians reading selections from The Conference of the Birds. The series begins on Saturday, September 7 with a documentary film, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet, introduced and moderated by Dr. Zeki Saritoprak of John Caroll University. A complete schedule with program descriptions and more can be found at www.lakewoodpubliclibrary.org/muslimjourneys. These programs are sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Turkish American Society of Ohio--Cleveland.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?